White Sox: Top Five Most Likely Trading Partners

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Jul 19, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier (21) celebrates his two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners with left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) during the ninth inning at Safeco Field. Cabrera scored a run on the hit. Chicago defeated Seattle, 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

White Sox are quickly falling out of contention, and have pieces in place to haul back a bevy of top prospects. With the trading deadline approaching, here’s a list of the top five trading partners for the White Sox.

After winning five consecutive series following a poor stretch of baseball in May, the White Sox have lost their last three series and are looking like they will be sellers at the trading deadline. There’s no way around it anymore, the White Sox need to sell and start to focus on rebuilding for the future.

The White Sox will enter the trading deadline on August 1 in a seller’s market. With a bevy of talented starting pitchers, relievers and outfielders, the White Sox can most certainly get a decent return if they’re willing to sell.

According to Jon Heyman, the White Sox are not only considering the possibility selling, but they’ve also started to receive calls for some of their best players. However, the White Sox are reportedly not in the market of trading Chris Sale or Jose Quintana. If the White Sox are indeed not looking to trade any of their All-Star pitchers, they can still receive a good return if they trade other players. The White Sox could explore trades for David Robertson, Todd Frazier, Zach Duke or Adam Eaton.

There are going to be a lot of teams after the White Sox best players, and general manager Rick Hahn would be wise to listen to offers for Sale and Quintana. Although this season is shaping up to be another season without the playoffs, the White Sox could set themselves up for a better future with the right trades. But what teams would be good trading partners with the White Sox? We explore this topic further with the most likely trading partners for the White Sox at five teams.

Jul 20, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) and center fielder Jake Marisnick (6) are greeted in the dugout after scoring on a base hit by shortstop Carlos Correa (not pictured) in the eighth inning of their MLB baseball game at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Houston Astros

The Astros began the season at 15-24, but after a series victory over the White Sox in Chicago in May, Houston has propelled itself back into contention. The Astros are 3.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West division. The Astros are backed by a strong pitching rotation as they’re ranked ninth in MLB with a 4.19 ERA.

The bullpen of the Astros is strong, but with Tony Sipp struggling this season Houston could use a left-handed relief pitcher for the second half. Sipp, the Astros only left-handed relief pitcher has a 4.91 ERA this season in 38 appearances. The veteran relief pitcher couldn’t record an out in his last appearance against the Oakland Atheltics after allowing a hit and walking a batter. The Astros will certainly need another left-handed relief pitcher and this would be a good landing spot for Duke.

Although Duke allowed a home run in Wednesday’s game against the Mariners, has been solid for the White Sox this season out of the bullpen. Duke has a 2.79 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched this season and left-handed batters are hitting .279 against him. While this isn’t great, its better than the .321 average for left-handed batters against Sipp this season. Duke singed a three-year $15 million contract during the 2014 offseason, and with one year left on his contract it would behoove the White Sox to relieve themselves of getting a decent return in a trade for Duke.

July 20, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) celebrates after scoring a run in the third inning against Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Texas Rangers

Although the Rangers are leading the AL West, their bullpen is one of the worst in MLB. The Rangers bullpen ranks 29^th in MLB with a 5.02 ERA. That’s only better than the Cincinnati Reds bullpen. The Rangers have struggled to begin the second half with a 1-5 record, and they will certainly need help in their bullpen if they expect to hold off the surging Astros. With a poor bullpen, the Rangers could perhaps reach out to the White Sox and inquire about Duke or Robertson. I wouldn’t be surprised if they inquired about Nate Jones either.

The Rangers need a consistent reliever that can not only hold leads, but can also help get the ball to closer Sam Dyson in the ninth inning. The Rangers best relief pitcher outside of Dyson is 2004 first-round draft pick Matt Bush. Dyson and Bush are the only two relief pitchers for the Rangers with ERA’s under 3.00. With the White Sox reportedly listening to offers, the Rangers would be wise to offer a solid return for one of the south siders relief pitchers. Texas could also use another bat in the outfield, and the White Sox could trade Melky Cabrera to the Rangers.

Jul 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) is congratulated by catcher Yasmani Grandal (9) after recording the final out against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers acknowledged the possibility of Clayton Kershaw missing the remainder of the season due to a herniated disc injury on Wednesday. Kershaw hasn’t pitched since June 26. The former CY Young Award winner and MVP, could miss the rest of the season. The Dodgers will certainly need a starting pitching to remain in contention for the postseason.

Despite a tweet from Ken Rosenthal suggesting the White Sox aren’t interested in trading Quintana or Sale, the Dodgers would certainly need to entice the pale hose in order to obtain one of the All-Star pitchers. The Dodgers are currently behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West, and their best remaining starting pitcher is Kenta Maeda. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn should at least listen to any offer the Dodgers might have for Quintana.

Jul 20, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) and shortstop Addison Russell (27) celebrate their win against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won 6-2. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Chicago Cubs

Cubs fans have been salivating in anticipation of another poor season from the White Sox. It’s not necessarily because of the crosstown rivalry, it’s because they want what the White Sox have: quality starting pitching. The Cubs would certainly be a much better team with a starting rotation that included Sale or Quintana.

The White Sox would certainly benefit from some of the young and exciting offensive players the Cubs currently have. Could a crosstown trade work between both teams? Most likely not due to the fact whichever team gets the short end of the stick in the trade, will have to hear about from their fans for a very long time. However, a trade involving Quintana going to the Cubs could make sense. The White Sox need offense, which the Cubs have, and the Northsiders need pitching which the pale hose have. It would be a tough pill to swallow for White Sox fans to see Quintana not only succeed with the Cubs, but get consistent run support.

Jul 20, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez (13) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox have the best offense in MLB, but their starting pitching ranks 19^th with a 4.62 ERA. The failed signing of David Price hasn’t prevented the Red Sox from contending, however as they’re locked in a battle for the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox received a ‘king’s ransom’ from a team regarding Sale. No word on if it was the Red Sox, but they do have a lot of prospects that would match up well in a trade for Sale. The Red Sox would undoubtedly be a stronger team with Sale. If they could somehow pry Sale from the White Sox, this would be the biggest trading deadline deal in recent history.

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